Category: East Asia

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was the target of a false anonymous report that resulted in him spending a night away from his four-year-old twins.
According to Buttigieg, a Michigan State Police officer and a child protective services worker visited his home in Traverse City after receiving an anonymous report alleging he posed a danger to his children. Authorities arranged forensic interviews for his twins and instructed Buttigieg not to be alone with them until the interviews were complete.
Buttigieg described the 24-hour ordeal as “among the darkest hours of my life” in a Substack post.
Michigan State Police confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press that they received an “anonymous report” and that they and child protective services “responded and determined the report was false.”
Buttigieg, who is widely viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, has long been the target of anti-LGBTQ attacks (AFP/Getty)Buttigieg said investigators tol..

Dozens of people have died while in ICE detention since President Donald Trump returned to office, according to a new report, marking a sharp increase from previous years.
On Thursday, the nonprofit Human Rights Watch published an analysis finding that 52 people died while in ICE custody between Jan. 20, 2025, and June 4, 2026.
“The mortality rate of deaths in ICE custody is at its highest level in over a decade and has more than doubled since Trump’s second term began,” a summary of the report states. “The rate is nearly four times that of the Biden administration, and more than two and a half times as high as that of the first Trump administration.”
The Trump administration has strongly disputed the findings.
The analysis highlighted several individual cases. In one case, Maksym Chernyak, a 44-year-old from Ukraine, suffered a stroke while in detention. Despite showing “clear signs of an emergency,” staff failed to provide appropriate care, and delays contributed to his death, the g..

Authorities in Paris are set to implement a public alcohol ban from Friday lunchtime.
The measure is aimed at mitigating health risks posed by the intense heatwave currently affecting France and wider Europe.
Paris police chief Patrice Faure announced the decision on Thursday, saying: “I will publish an edict this evening which will ban the consumption of alcohol in public from tomorrow midday onwards.
“As you know, drinking alcohol with the sun beating down can have a devastating effect.”
The ban will come into force on Friday (AFP/Getty)Meanwhile, Belgium has issued a rare “red alert” for extreme heat as a prolonged heatwave threatens milk and meat production, with livestock struggling under scorching temperatures.
The Flemish farming association Boerenbond has indicated that both milk and meat production are expected to fall, though precise figures are not yet available.
Sander Palmans, 35, who directs the Agricultural Research and Education Center and farms in Bocholt, near the D..

A 23-year-old man was reportedly swept over a waterfall in Yosemite National Park to his death, according to law enforcement.
A spokesperson for Yosemite confirmed to the LA Times that an incident occurred on June 20 at Nevada Fall, a 600-foot waterfall on the Merced River.
The official provided few details, only confirming that the incident involved a 23-year-old man and that “emergency personnel responded to the incident, which remains under investigation.”
“The National Park Service is investigating an incident involving a 23-year-old male at Nevada Fall in Yosemite National Park on June 20, 2026. Emergency personnel responded to the incident, which remains under investigation. No additional information is available at this time,” the NPS said in a statement.
The Mariposa County Sheriff's Office confirmed to the Fresno Bee that the victim was Josue Baires Alfaro and that he was killed during the incident.
(Getty Images/iStockphoto)Alfaro was reportedly in the Merced River wh..

Congressional Democrats called for investigations Wednesday into renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as the ongoing drama over the president’s problem-plagued, $16 million rehabilitation project continued to roil the capital.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate demanded answers about the saga that's been highlighted in the news cycle for weeks, even as the White House has repeatedly blamed — without evidence — unidentified vandals for peeling paint and other problems. Six people have been arrested, President Donald Trump said, without providing details, and a local wildlife nonprofit conducted necropsies on dead ducks found near the Reflecting Pool. The president has said the pool may need to be drained once again for additional repairs.
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, challenged the Trump administration over no-bid contracts for work on the Reflecting Pool, saying they were awarded to ve..

Some license plate cameras equipped with special sensors can collect a lot more information about drivers than previously thought, according to a new report.
One product, defense contractor Leonardo's SignalTrace system — which produces sensors that can be fitted to existing license plate readers — can collect unique identifiers attached to phones, AirPods, and other Bluetooth-enabled devices, according to 404Media.
That would potentially allow law enforcement the ability to not only collect a license plate and identify who the car is registered to, but also collect information identifying the driver and anyone else in the car carrying a phone or similar device.
SignalTrace also advertises that it can detect non-contact RFID devices, like air-pressure sensors, work badges, or even pet microchips.
“The data collected shows what group of devices are travelling together,” according to Leonardo's website. “As part of investigations, algorithms can determine which specific mix..

Train services across Germany were brought to a halt late on Tuesday following a nationwide disruption to the digital railway radio system, operator Deutsche Bahn confirmed.
“All trains are currently being held at stations,” Deutsche Bahn stated, citing an outage affecting the Global System for Mobile Communication for Railways (GSM-R), the main communication tool between train drivers and traffic control centres.
The operator added: “Our technicians are working flat out to resolve the issue.” No further details were immediately available.
More to follow…

An online fundraiser for a Tennessee teen who is a suspect in the murder of a sex offender has been shut down by GoFundMe.
The company shut down an account for Kian Neal, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 56-year-old Robert George Locke, citing its policy against fundraisers involving alleged violent crimes, even in the case of pending investigations, according to News Channel 9.
“Unfortunately, we have discovered that GoFundMe does not allow for fundraisers involving alleged violent crimes, even if the case/trial is ongoing. All donations will be refunded. A heartfelt thank you to all who donated,” a statement on the fundraiser said.
Neal's father is believed to be the organizer of the fundraiser, according to Local 3 News.
The fundraising page has been removed from GoFundMe. The original page listed a $30,000 goal for Neal's legal defense.
Kian Neal, 18, has been charged with criminal homicide for the death of Robert George Locke. A GoFundMe fundraiser aiming..

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson is officially breaking with the Republican Party after spending decades as one of its most influential backers in the media.
On a recent episode of the Can’t Be Censored podcast, Carlson accused the party of “treasonous” actions and putting the interests of corporate donors and Israel above those of American citizens, especially regarding the Iran war.
“I would not support the Republican Party,” Carlson said. “There’s no chance I would support the Republican Party. I’m not going to support the Democratic Party — I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“I voted Republican my entire life,” the podcaster continued. “I worked at Fox News, CNN, MSNBC. I’ve been a consistent defender for 35 years of the Republican Party, — I mean, a very consistent defender. There’s no defending this because it’s amoral and it’s exactly the opposite of what a political party in a democracy is charged with doing, which is representing its own voters, its own citizens, its o..

Iran's supreme leader says Trump made deal 'out of desperation' as US lifts naval blockadePresident Donald Trump has threatened to “take over” Iran after Tehran vowed to close the Strait of Hormuz following alleged US and Israeli ceasefire breaches.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump said he had told Iranian officials: “You close the strait and you won't have a country. You won’t even make it back to your f****** country, we’ll take over the rest of the country.”
Iran said it would close the crucial waterway to tankers, but the US military had said that traffic continued to flow through the Strait and the US is monitoring the situation to ensure that continues.
The US president also warned in a post on Truth Social that the US will strike “very hard again” if it does not prevent Lebanese militants Hezbollah from “causing trouble”.
The threats come as vice president JD Vance formally launches negotiations in Switzerland between the US and Iran over curbing Tehran’s nuclea..